U.S. patent application number 14/527452 was filed with the patent office on 2015-04-30 for clip mounting seats of interior components or exterior components.
The applicant listed for this patent is DAIWA KASEI KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA. Invention is credited to Kazuki FUJII, Toshio IWAHARA, Makoto KATO, Junya UKAI.
Application Number | 20150113773 14/527452 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 52993812 |
Filed Date | 2015-04-30 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150113773 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
IWAHARA; Toshio ; et
al. |
April 30, 2015 |
CLIP MOUNTING SEATS OF INTERIOR COMPONENTS OR EXTERIOR
COMPONENTS
Abstract
Embodiments of the present invention may include a clip mounting
seat having a clip attachment surface, a peripheral wall and an
opening. The peripheral wall extends from the clip attachment
surface. The opening opens a part of an outer peripheral edge of
the clip attachment surface. The clip attachment surface has an
attachment hole, a guide groove and a tongue. The guide groove
guides an insertion of a neck portion of the clip from the opening
into the attachment hole. The tongue protrudes from an edge of the
guide groove towards the attachment hole. The tongue is deflected
to permit the neck portion to enter from the opening into the
attachment hole. When the neck portion moves from the attachment
hole toward the opening, the tongue is deflected by the neck
portion in a closing direction.
Inventors: |
IWAHARA; Toshio;
(Okazaki-shi, JP) ; KATO; Makoto; (Toyota-shi,
JP) ; UKAI; Junya; (Okazaki-shi, JP) ; FUJII;
Kazuki; (Okazaki-shi, JP) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
DAIWA KASEI KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA |
Okazaki-shi |
|
JP |
|
|
Family ID: |
52993812 |
Appl. No.: |
14/527452 |
Filed: |
October 29, 2014 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
24/594.11 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60R 13/0206 20130101;
F16B 5/0664 20130101; F16B 5/0657 20130101; F16B 5/065 20130101;
B60R 13/04 20130101; F16B 21/086 20130101; Y10T 24/45257
20150115 |
Class at
Publication: |
24/594.11 |
International
Class: |
F16B 2/22 20060101
F16B002/22; B60R 13/04 20060101 B60R013/04; B60R 13/02 20060101
B60R013/02 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Oct 31, 2013 |
JP |
2013-226892 |
Claims
1. A clip mounting seat of an interior component or an exterior
component comprising: a clip attachment surface; a peripheral wall
extending from the clip attachment surface; and an opening
configured to open a part of an outer peripheral edge of the clip
attachment surface, wherein the clip attachment surface has: an
attachment hole, a guide groove configured to guide an insertion of
a neck portion of the clip from the opening into the attachment
hole, a tongue protruding from an edge of the guide groove toward
the attachment hole, the tongue configured to be deflectable to
permit the neck portion to enter from the opening into the
attachment hole, and the tongue configured to be deflected by the
neck portion in a closing direction to narrow a pass for
suppressing the neck portion from being detached from the
attachment hole when the neck portion moves from the attachment
hole toward the opening.
2. The clip mounting seat of an interior component or an exterior
component of claim 1, wherein the tongue has a first tongue and a
second tongue.
3. The clip mounting seat of an interior component or an exterior
component of claim 2, wherein the first and second tongues are
configured to be deflected in an opening direction to move away
from each other via the neck portion when the neck portion moves
from the opening to the attachment hole.
4. The clip mounting seat of an interior component or an exterior
component of claim 2, wherein the first and second tongues are
configured to be deflected in the closing direction to move toward
each other via the neck portion when the neck portion moves from
the attachment hole to the opening.
5. The clip mounting seat of an interior component or an exterior
component of claim 1, wherein the tongue has a distal end
configured to abut the neck portion when the neck portion moves
from the attachment hole to the opening, and wherein the distal end
is provided with a recess directed towards the attachment hole.
6. The clip mounting seat of an interior component or an exterior
component of claim 1, wherein the tongue has a distal end having an
arc shape situated on an arc line in which an inner peripheral edge
of the attachment hole is situated.
7. The clip mounting seat of an interior component or an exterior
component of claim 1, wherein the tongue is formed in a linear
configuration, and wherein the distal end is configured to be
directed towards the attachment hole.
8. The clip mounting seat of an interior component or an exterior
component of claim 1, wherein the tongue has: a first portion
configured to be pushed by the neck portion such that the tongue is
deformed to move towards the guide groove when the neck portion
moves from the attachment hole to the opening by an applied first
force, and a second portion configured to be pushed by the neck
portion such that the tongue is deformed to move away from the
guide groove when the neck portion moves from the attachment hole
to the opening by an applied second force that is larger than the
applied first force.
9. The clip mounting seat of an interior component or an exterior
component of claim 1, wherein the tongue is provided with a
protrusion protruding so as to reduce a groove width of the guide
groove.
10. The clip mounting seat of an interior component or an exterior
component of claim 1, wherein the tongue is configure to be
deflected by the neck portion moving from the opening towards the
attachment hole to abut a groove wall of the guide groove.
11. The clip mounting seat of an interior component or an exterior
component of claim 10, wherein a gap into which the neck portion is
inserted, at a time when the tongue abuts the groove wall of the
guide groove, is smaller than a diameter of the neck portion.
Description
[0001] This application claims priority to Japanese patent
application serial number 2013-226892, the contents of which are
incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Embodiments of the present invention relate to a clip
mounting seat of an interior component or an exterior component.
For example, a clip is attached to the clip mounting seat to mount
the interior or exterior component to a vehicle body panel.
[0003] There has been known a clip for mounting an automotive
interior component (such as a door trim or an instrument panel) to
a vehicle body panel. The interior component has a clip mounting
seat on an inner surface thereof. A neck portion of the clip is
attached to the clip mounting seat. The neck portion is passed
through a guide groove of the interior component before being
inserted into an attachment hole of the clip mounting seat.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2005-81881 discloses a
clip mounting seat 202 shown in FIG. 27. The clip mounting seat 202
has a pair of tongues 228.
[0004] The tongues 228 protrude toward an attachment hole 224 from
both edges 226a of a guide groove 226. When the clip 203 moves in a
detaching direction from an attachment hole 224, the pair of
tongues 228 acts on a neck portion 234c of the clip 203 to provide
resistance. As a result, it is possible to suppress inadvertent
detachment of the clip 203 from the clip mounting seat 202. It is
possible to suppress detachment of an interior component (not
shown) due to vibration during traveling of the automobile. When
the clip 203 is inserted into the attachment hole 224, the pair of
tongues 228 do not act as resistance on the neck portion 234c of
the clip 203. Thus, the clip 203 can be easily attached to the clip
mounting seat 202.
[0005] When the requisite force for detaching the clip 203 from the
clip mounting seat 202 (the retaining force) is large, it is
difficult to detach the clip 203 from the clip mounting seat 202.
When, however, the retaining force is increased, the requisite
force for attaching the clip 203 to the clip mounting seat 202
increases.
[0006] Therefore, there is a need in the art for a clip mounting
seat to which the clip can be easily attached and from which the
clip is not easily detached.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] According to an aspect of the invention, certain embodiments
of the present invention include a clip mounting seat of an
interior component or an exterior component has a clip attachment
surface, a peripheral wall, and an opening. The peripheral wall
extends from the clip attachment surface. The opening opens a part
of an outer peripheral edge of the clip attachment surface. The
clip attachment surface has an attachment hole, a guide groove and
a tongue. The guide groove guides an insertion of a neck portion of
the clip from the opening into the attachment hole. The tongue
protrudes from an edge of the guide groove toward the attachment
hole. The tongue is deflected to thereby permit the neck portion to
enter from the opening into the attachment hole. When the neck
portion moves from the attachment hole toward the opening, the
tongue is deflected by the neck portion in a closing direction to
narrow a passage area used for preventing the neck portion from
being detached from the attachment hole.
[0008] Thus, the tongue suppresses the movement of the neck portion
of the clip from the attachment hole to the opening. As a result,
it is possible to suppress inadvertent detachment of the clip from
the clip mounting seat. On the other hand, the tongue is deflected
so as to cause the neck portion to move from the opening to the
attachment hole, allowing the neck portion to move to the
attachment hole. Thus, the clip can relatively easily be attached
to the clip mounting seat.
[0009] According to another aspect of the invention, the tongue may
have a first tongue and a second tongue. The first and second
tongues are deflected in an opening direction to move away from
each other via the neck portion when the neck portion moves from
the opening to the attachment hole. The first and second tongues
are deflected in the closing direction to move toward each other
via the neck portion when the neck portion moves from the
attachment hole to the opening.
[0010] According to another aspect of the invention, the tongue may
have a distal end configured to abut the neck portion when the neck
portion moves from the attachment hole to the opening. The distal
end is provided with a recess directed toward the attachment hole.
Alternatively, the distal end may have an arc shape situated on an
arc line in which an inner peripheral edge of the attachment hole
is situated. Alternatively, the distal end may be formed in a
linear configuration and the distal end may be directed towards the
attachment hole.
[0011] According to another aspect of the invention, the distal end
of the tongue may have a first portion and a second portion. The
first portion may have a first angle such that the tongue is
deformed to move toward the guide groove via the neck portion when
the neck portion moves from the attachment hole to the opening by
an applied first force. The second portion may have a second angle
such that the tongue is deformed to move away from the guide groove
via the neck portion when the neck portion moves from the
attachment hole to the opening by an applied second force larger
than the applied first force. Thus, it is possible to detach the
clip from the clip mounting seat by the second force.
[0012] According to another aspect of the invention, the tongue may
be provided with a protrusion protruding so as to reduce a groove
width of the guide groove. According to another aspect of the
invention, the tongue may be deflected by the neck portion moving
from the opening toward the attachment hole to abut a groove wall
of the guide groove. According to another aspect of the invention,
a gap into which the neck portion is inserted when the tongue abuts
the groove wall of the guide groove may be smaller than the
diameter of the neck portion. Thus, the worker can feel the
movement of the neck portion from the guide groove to the
attachment hole since the tongue abuts the groove wall of the guide
groove. As a result, it is possible to prevent the worker from
forgetting to attach the clip to the clip mounting seat.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] FIG. 1 is a side view of a vehicle having a door trim;
[0014] FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the door trim of FIG. 1;
[0015] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a first clip mounting seat
of the door trim of FIG. 2 before a clip is attached to the first
clip mounting seat;
[0016] FIG. 4 is a plane view of the first clip mounting seat of
FIG. 3;
[0017] FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a portion V in FIG. 4;
[0018] FIG. 6 is a front view of the first clip mounting seat of
FIG. 3;
[0019] FIG. 7 is a side view of the first clip mounting seat of
FIG. 3;
[0020] FIG. 8 is a plane view of the first clip mounting seat and a
neck portion of the clip before the clip is attached to the first
clip mounting seat;
[0021] FIG. 9 is a plane view of the first clip mounting seat and
the neck portion of the clip when tongues abut the groove walls
while the neck portion is inserted into the first clip mounting
seat;
[0022] FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of a portion X in FIG. 9;
[0023] FIG. 11 is a plane view of the first clip mounting seat to
which the neck portion of the clip is completely attached;
[0024] FIG. 12 is a plane view of the first clip mounting seat and
the neck portion when a first force is applied on the clip in a
detaching direction;
[0025] FIG. 13 is a plane view of the first clip mounting seat and
the neck portion when a second force, that is greater than the
first force, is applied on the clip in the detaching direction;
[0026] FIG. 14 is a plane view of the first clip mounting seat and
the neck portion detached from the first clip mounting seat;
[0027] FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a second clip mounting seat
of the door trim before a clip is attached to the second mounting
seat;
[0028] FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a third clip mounting seat
of the door trim before a clip is attached to the third mounting
seat;
[0029] FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a forth clip mounting seat
of the door trim before a clip is attached to the forth mounting
seat;
[0030] FIG. 18 is a perspective view of another clip mounting seat
of the door trim before a clip is attached to the clip mounting
seat;
[0031] FIG. 19 is a plane view of the clip mounting seat of FIG.
18;
[0032] FIG. 20 is an enlarged view of a portion XX in FIG. 19;
[0033] FIG. 21 is a plane view of the clip mounting seat of FIG. 15
and a neck portion of the clip before the clip is attached to the
clip mounting seat;
[0034] FIG. 22 is a plane view of the clip mounting seat of FIG. 21
and the neck portion of the clip when tongues abut the groove walls
while the neck portion is inserted into the clip mounting seat;
[0035] FIG. 23 is a plane view of the clip mounting seat of FIG. 21
when the neck portion is completely attached to the clip mounting
seat;
[0036] FIG. 24 is a plane view of the clip mounting seat of FIG. 21
and the neck portion when a first force is applied on the clip in a
detaching direction;
[0037] FIG. 25 is a plane view of the clip mounting seat of FIG. 21
and the neck portion when a second force, that is greater than the
first force, is applied on the clip in the detaching direction;
[0038] FIG. 26 is a plane view of the clip mounting seat of FIG. 21
and the neck portion detached from the clip mounting seat; and
[0039] FIG. 27 is a perspective view of a conventional clip
mounting seat and a clip before the clip is attached to the clip
mounting seat.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0040] Each of the additional features and teachings disclosed
above and below may be utilized separately or in conjunction with
other features and teachings to provide improved clip mounting
seats for interior components or an exterior components.
Representative examples of the present invention, which utilize
many of these additional features and teachings both separately and
in conjunction with one another, will now be described in detail
with reference to the attached drawings. This detailed description
is merely intended to teach a person of ordinary skill in the art
further details for practicing preferred aspects of the present
teachings and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention.
Only the claims define the scope of the claimed invention.
Therefore, combinations of features and steps disclosed in the
following detailed description may not be necessary to practice the
invention in the broadest sense, and are instead taught merely to
particularly describe representative examples of the invention.
Moreover, various features of the representative examples and the
dependent claims may be combined in ways that are not specifically
enumerated in order to provide additional useful configurations of
the present teachings.
[0041] FIGS. 1 to 17 show an embodiment which has an interior
component 1 and a clip 3. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the interior
component 1 is, for example, a door trim for an automobile. The
interior component 1 has an outer surface exhibiting a design
property, and an inner surface on the other side of the outer
surface. At the four corners of the inner surface, there are formed
first to fourth clip mounting seats 2 (2a to 2d) to each of which a
clip 3 is attached. The clip 3 has upper and lower flange portions
34a and 34b between which the clip mounting seat 2 is held.
[0042] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a first clip mounting seat 2a has
a first attachment hole 24a exhibiting an inner diameter slightly
larger than the outer diameter of a neck portion 34c of the clip 3.
The first attachment hole 24a serves as a reference hole for
setting the position of the door trim 1 with respect to a vehicle
body panel P. The first attachment hole 24a is set to be of such a
size that it cannot absorb a mounting error in the vertical
direction and/or the front-rear direction of the door trim 1 with
respect to the vehicle body panel P.
[0043] As shown in FIG. 15, a second clip mounting seat 2b has a
second attachment hole 24b. The second attachment hole 24b is a
longitudinally (vertically) elongated hole capable of absorbing the
mounting error in the vertical direction of the door trim 1 with
respect to the vehicle body panel P. As shown in FIG. 16, a third
clip mounting seat 2c has a third attachment hole 24c. The third
attachment hole 24c is a laterally elongated hole capable of
absorbing the mounting error in the front-rear direction of the
door trim 1 with respect to the vehicle body panel P. As shown in
FIG. 17, a fourth clip mounting seat 2d has a fourth attachment
hole 24d. The fourth attachment hole 24d has a large diameter
allowing absorption of the mounting error in the vertical direction
and the front-rear direction of the door trim 1 with respect to the
vehicle body panel P.
[0044] The first to fourth clip mounting seats 2a to 2d have the
attachment holes 24a to 24d which are different from each other.
With the exception of the attachment holes 24a to 24d, the first to
fourth mounting seats 2a to 2d are of the same construction.
[0045] As shown in FIGS. 3 to 7, the first clip mounting seat 2a is
formed integrally with the interior component 1. The first clip
mounting seat 2a is formed of a synthetic resin exhibiting
rigidity. The first clip mounting seat 2a has a peripheral wall 20
and a clip attachment surface 22. The peripheral wall 20 protrudes
from the interior component 1. The clip attachment surface 22 is
formed so as to close the upper side of the peripheral wall 20.
[0046] As shown in FIG. 3, the first clip mounting seat 2a has an
opening 20a for opening a part of the peripheral wall 20. The clip
attachment surface 22 is provided with a guide groove 26 and a pair
of tongues 28. The neck portion 34c of the clip 1 is inserted into
the clip attachment surface 22 from the opening 20a, and is guided
to the first attachment hole 24a by the guide groove 26. The
tongues 28 protrude from both edges 26a of the guide groove 26
toward the first attachment hole 24a.
[0047] Each tongue 28 has a distal end 28a and a protrusion 28b.
The distal end 28a has an arcuate recess. The distal end 28a is
situated on the same arc line of the inner peripheral surface of
the first attachment hole 24a. The distal end 28a is an arc of
substantially the same radius as the first attachment hole 24a. The
protrusions 28b protrude into the guide groove 26 so as to reduce
the groove width of the guide groove 26. The distance between the
two protrusions 28b is smaller than the outer diameter of the neck
portion 34c of the clip 3. As shown in FIGS. 9 to 11, the pair of
tongues 28 are deflected, and the neck portion 34c of the clip 3
passes between the pair of tongues 28 to reach the bottom of the
first attachment hole 24a. The pair of tongues 28 are restored from
deformation, and the distance between the two protrusions 28b
becomes smaller than the outer diameter of the neck portion 34c of
the clip 3.
[0048] As shown in FIG. 3, the clip 3 is a single member formed of
a synthetic resin exhibiting rigidity. The clip 3 integrally has a
base plate body 30, an anchor body 32 and an attachment body 34.
The base plate body 30 is of a disc-like configuration, and
constitutes the base of the clip 3. The anchor body 32 protrudes
from the upper surface of the base plate body 30. The attachment
body 34 protrudes from the lower surface of the base plate body 30.
A stabilizer 30a is formed in the outer periphery of the base plate
body 30. The stabilizer 30a is formed as a disc upwardly extending
from the entire periphery of the base plate body 30.
[0049] The anchor body 32 is inserted into a mounting hole (not
shown) of the vehicle body panel. On the outer periphery of the
anchor body 32, there are formed a plurality of (e.g., four)
elastic claws 32a. The anchor body (swollen body) 32 is reduced in
diameter when it is inserted into the mounting hole of the vehicle
body panel, and it is increased in diameter when reaching beyond
the mounting hole. The anchor body 32 is engaged with the mounting
hole of the vehicle body panel. As a result, the door trim 1 is
mounted to the vehicle body panel.
[0050] The attachment body 34 has flange portions (an upper flange
portion 34a and a lower flange portion 34b) and the neck portion.
The upper flange portion 34a and the lower flange portion 34b hold
the clip attachment surface 22 of the first clip mounting seat 2a
therebetween. The neck portion 34c is of a small diameter and
connects the upper and lower flange portions 34a and 34b to each
other.
[0051] For attaching the clip 3 to the first clip mounting seat 2a,
the anchor body 32 of the clip 3 is first gripped with fingers. The
neck portion 34c is inserted into the guide groove 26 while causing
the clip attachment surface 22 to be situated between the flange
portions 34a and 34b. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the neck portion
34c pushes the protrusions 28b of the pair of tongues 28. The pair
of tongues 28 are deflected so as to move away from each other. The
pair of tongues 28 contact both edges 26a of the guide groove 26
(abutment state).
[0052] In the abutment state, the distance between the two
protrusions 28b is smaller than the outer diameter of the neck
portion 34c of the clip 3. A distance S is generated between the
tangent extending from the neck portion 34c and the distal end line
extending from the distal end of each protrusion 28b. In the
abutment state, the neck portion 34c is further pushed toward the
attachment hole 24. The neck portion 34c deflects the distal end of
each protrusion 28b. The neck portion 34c goes beyond the distal
end of each protrusion 28b (the distal end line of FIG. 10). The
neck portion 34c is attached to the attachment hole 24 of the clip
attachment surface 22 (See FIG. 11).
[0053] As a result, the clip 3 is attached to the first clip
mounting seat 2a of the interior component 1. When inserting the
neck portion 34c into the attachment hole 24a, the pair of tongues
28 are deformed. Thus, the clip 3 can be mounted to the clip
mounting seat 2a relatively easily.
[0054] As shown in FIG. 11, the clip 3 attached to the clip
mounting seat 2a is retained on the clip mounting seat 2a by a
predetermined retaining force. An external force is applied to the
clip 3, and the neck portion 34c moves from the attachment hole 24
to the guide groove 26. The neck portion 34c abuts the distal end
28a of the tongues 28.
[0055] The distal end 28a of the tongues 28 are of substantially
the same arcuate configuration as the inner peripheral surface of
the attachment hole 24. Thus, the distal end 28a of the tongues 28
effectively receive the neck portion 34c. As shown in FIG. 12, the
tongues 28 are deflected so as to move toward each other to stop
the advancement of the neck portion 34c. As a result, the tongues
28 act as sufficient resistance to the movement of the neck portion
34c. The tongues 28 can reliably suppress inadvertent detachment of
the clip 3.
[0056] As shown in FIG. 13, the larger the external force applied
to the clip 3, the further the tongues 28 are deflected, and the
smaller the distance between the tongues 28. As a result,
inadvertent detachment of the clip 3 can be suppressed more
securely.
[0057] When a force larger than the retaining force is applied to
the clip 3, the neck portion 34c further deforms the tongues 28.
The tongues 28 move away from each other, and the neck portion 34c
passes between the tongues 28. As a result, as shown in FIG. 14,
the neck portion 34c passes through the guide groove 26, and is
detached from the clip attachment surface 22. The clip 3 is removed
from the first clip mounting seat 2a of the interior component
1.
[0058] As described above, the clip attachment surface 22 is
provided with the attachment hole 24 (24a, 24b, 24c or 24d), the
guide groove 26 and the pair of tongues 28. The distal end 28a of
the tongues 28 are of the same arcuate configuration as the inner
peripheral surface of the attachment hole 24. When the clip 3
receives a force in the detaching direction, the distal ends 28a of
the tongues 28 receive the neck portion 34c.
[0059] The pair of tongues 28 are deflected so as to move towards
each other (See FIG. 12). The tongues 28 move forward, i.e., in the
direction in which the neck portion 34c is detached from the
attachment hole 24. Thus, the tongues 28 offer resistance to the
movement of the neck portion 34c, and inadvertent detachment of the
clip 3 from the clip mounting seat 2a is suppressed. When attaching
the clip 3 to the clip mounting seat 2a, the tongues 28 are
deflected. Thus, the clip 3 can be attached to the clip mounting
seat 2a relatively easily.
[0060] As shown in FIG. 4, the tongues 28 have the protrusions 28b
protruding so as to reduce the groove width of the guide groove 26.
As shown in FIG. 9, in the state in which the deflected tongues 28
abut both edges 26a of the guide groove 26, the distance between
the protrusions 28b is smaller than the diameter of the neck
portion 34c. When attaching the clip 3 to the first clip mounting
seat 2a, the neck portion 34c is inserted toward the attachment
hole 24, and the neck portion 34c goes beyond the distal ends of
the protrusions 28b of the tongues 28. As a result, the worker can
feel the attachment of the clip 3 to the clip mounting seat 2a from
the fingers with which the anchor body 32 is gripped. As a result,
it is possible to prevent the worker from forgetting to attach the
clip 3 to the clip mounting seat 2a.
[0061] FIGS. 18 to 26 show a clip mounting seat 102 which allows
the clip 3 to be detached for maintenance more easily than the clip
mounting seat 2 shown in FIGS. 3 to 17. The tongues 28 of the clip
mounting seat 102 have distal ends 28e as shown in FIG. 19 instead
of the distal end 28a shown in FIG. 4. The distal ends 28e are
substantially linear, and are directed to the center of the
attachment hole 24.
[0062] Each distal end 28e has a first portion 28c near the guide
groove 26 and a second portion 28d far from the guide groove 26.
The second portion 28d extends near the extension of the arcuate
line at the inner peripheral surface of the attachment hole 24. The
first portion 28c extends on the outer side of the extension of the
arcuate line. As a result, the distal ends 28e can also cause the
same effect as the distal end 28a shown in FIG. 4.
[0063] As shown in FIGS. 23 to 26, when the clip 3 receives a force
in the detaching direction, the neck portion 34c moves from the
attachment hole 24 to the guide groove 26. The neck portion 34c
abuts the second portions 28d of the distal ends 28e of the tongues
28. The second portions 28d receive the neck portion 34c, and the
tongues 28 are deflected so as to move towards each other. The
tongues 28 act as resistance to the detachment of the neck portion
34c from the clip mounting seat 102. As a result, it is possible to
suppress inadvertent detachment of the clip 3 from the clip
mounting seat 102.
[0064] When a further force is applied to the clip 3, the tongues
28 are deflected, and the neck portion 34c reaches the first
portions 28c of the distal ends 28e. The first portions 28c are
pushed by the neck portion 34c, and the tongues 28 are deflected so
as to move away from each other. The first portions 28c have an
angle causing them to be further directed to the guide groove 26
than the distal end 28a shown in FIG. 4. As compared with the
distal end 28a shown in FIG. 4, it is more difficult for the distal
ends 28e to offer resistance to the passing of the neck portion 34c
through the guide groove 26. Thus, as compared with the embodiment
of FIG. 4, it is possible for the neck portion 34c to be passed
through the guide groove 26 by a smaller force. As compared with
the embodiment of FIG. 4, the clip 3 can be detached from the first
clip mounting seat 102 of the interior component 1 by a smaller
force. Thus, plastic deformation of the tongues 28 is suppressed.
As a result, it is possible to reuse the clip mounting seat
102.
[0065] While the embodiments of invention have been described with
reference to specific configurations, it will be apparent to those
skilled in the art that many alternatives, modifications and
variations may be made without departing from the scope of the
present invention. Accordingly, embodiments of the present
invention are intended to embrace all such alternatives,
modifications and variations that may fall within the spirit and
scope of the appended claims. For example, embodiments of the
present invention should not be limited to the representative
configurations, but may be modified, for example, as described
below.
[0066] The interior component 1 may be a door trim or various other
kinds of resin molding. The above embodiments may be applied to the
attachment of various exterior components instead of the interior
component 1.
[0067] The tongues 28 have the arcuate distal end 28a or the linear
distal ends 28e. Alternatively, each tongue 28 may have a V-shaped
distal end or a grooved distal end.
[0068] The clip attachment surface has a pair of tongues.
Alternatively, the clip attachment surface may have one or more
than two tongues.
* * * * *